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Yesterday, we arrived safely and without incident to Naples about 4pm. Leaving Marathon around 1230p looked like this:

Ghost town was the first thing that came to mind.

I thought there would be stop and go traffic, but the 70 or so miles from Marathon to the mainland via Route 1, or The Overseas Highway, was pleasantly light.

Before hitting the road around 1230p for our next adventure, we watched our home/boat as it was lifted out of the water and blocked up on stands.

As I write this, I can’t help but wonder if my post from August 21 is somehow partially to blame for Hurricane Irma. I wanted a new adventure, but not of this magnitude. And weren’t adventures supposed to be fun? This last 5 days has been nothing short of hard manual labor. And worry.

We did have a little fun yesterday on our way out of town. We had lunch with Karen’s employers, Bruce and Sherry Popham and another couple she works with. Apparently, Bruce and Sherry have a long standing- about 13 years- tradition of going to the Cracked Conch Cafe for margueritas when the hurricane prep is done.

Bruce and Sherry

From left: Joe, Bruce, Sherry, Tina, Flip.
This little cafe is famous for its fried conch sandwich. I tried it and was surprised to find it tender, unlike the tough, chewy bits in conch fritters. It reminded me of dense catfish. Bruce and Sherry treated us to the drinks and lunch. We said our goodbyes and hugged everyone and wished all a safe journey.

It only took us 4 hours to drive the 221 miles from Marathon to Naples. It was comforting coming into Elaine and Allyn’s home. We quickly made ourselves at home and ended the day with our usual ritual of our favorite drink – gin.

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It’s only 8:30 pm and we are getting into bed, but we have pushed all day – for our jobs and us personally. Finally a chance to just BE. And think. Think if we have remembered everything. Almost ready.

This is how Karen left her office –

The Boat Yard where we live now looks like this:

Our boat will be hauled tomorrow morning, then we are heading to Naples to stay at Elaine and Allyn’s house.

Karen and I thank every one for your thoughts and prayers, but we honestly don’t feel unsafe or in harms way. The entire east coast is in OUR thoughts and hope that this monster storm stays clear.

More tomorrow.

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This is Tuesday, September 5, 2017 and Irma is headed directly for the Florida Keys. I have no photograph to go with this post. I was busy all day with my job at Marathon Boat Yard, taking care of the most urgent business, like payroll and implementing our ‘hurricane plan’.

I just read that Irma is the most powerful storm EVER recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. By Saturday or Sunday, the future of our happy, quaint little town will be determined. Will the storm surge or the wind carry every thing away? Will there be bridges or roads left to take us home to see what is left of our homes, boats or businesses?

Everyone in the Keys has developed a hurricane plan. Businesses and families alike have a list of things to do and things to pack – before evacuating. Flip and I each went to work today to be part of the teams of our employers and co-workers to secure our buildings, inventory, office equipment, customer’s assets, lock down tools and equipment, gather necessary documents needed to conduct business remotely and for coming back to carry on. The commitment of employees and employers goes both ways. We are here for each other.

Bruce and Sherry Popham, owners of Marathon Boat Yard , where I, Karen, work, have owned their business for 20 years. This is the first time they will have evacuated. This is dire.

Flip and I have our own hurricane plan. When you have it written out, it doesn’t seem that bad. We have gassed up our vehicles, both of which we will be driving out to the mainland. We have our ‘re-entry stickers’ that residents need. All of our possessions we don’t want to lose will be packed securely in the car and truck. We have jugs of water, a cooler of food, a box of wine and enough gin for 3 weeks. Our boat will be hauled out of the water on Thursday. Insurance companies tend to believe that is the best place for boats during a hurricane. Boats are placed on boat stands, which are then chained together. Some yards will actually secure the boats to anchors in the ground, but they can’t do that here in the Keys. Marathon Boat Yard is actually considered a ‘hurricane hole’ – a somewhat protected area due to surrounding trees and land mass.

We have accommodations starting Thursday night on the east coast AND the west coast of Florida, depending on which way Irma decides to go.